Various filtration apparatus is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,090,965 and 4,639,315, both to Fuchs disclose apparatus whereby a cloth is mounted on a rotatable drum filter on a filter frame. The filter frame defines a boundary between influent and effluent compartments. During filtering, liquid influent containing suspended solids is passed into the influent compartment and flows in a filter direction through the filter into the filter effluent compartment for discharge to an outlet. Intermittent backwashing of the filter material is effected by moving the filter material past a suction head positioned to engage an outer side of the filter material and which is operative to draw filtered liquid from the filter effluent compartment through the filter material in a direction opposite the filter direction, to remove and discharge the entrapped solids with the backwash water. In general, a backwash step is initiated either by a timer at periodic intervals or by sensing a preselected rise in liquid level in the tank as an indication that the filter web is becoming clogged.
Other filter apparatus, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,612 to Astrom, disclose a filter apparatus whereby a vertical disc shaped filter frame is used rather than a drum shape. A filter makes up the outer surface of the disk so that the influent is forced into the inner region through the filter into a effluent region. A backwash suction assembly is located in contact with the filter frame to remove material that may clog the filter. The filter frame is rotated in order to clean the entire filter surface.
However, when the filter becomes clogged, requires extensive cleaning or simply requires replacement in any of the forgoing apparatus of the prior art, an operator must remove outer panels on the apparatus and access the filter frame. The filter frame must then be rotated to a certain position so the operator can avoid the backwash and other assemblies in order to gain access to the filter/cloths. Such processes makes such a filter exchange difficult and time consuming to change filters/cloths.
Further, the filter, frame and any filter cloths make the filter frame assembly bulky and heavy. Rotation of such assembly requires large amounts of energy when such assembly is used in operation and requires special handling when the filters need to be replaced. The assembly becomes even bulkier when the filter is substantially clogged with filtered material requiring even more rotational energy.
Other prior art filter apparatus includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,066 to Maurer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,532 to Wilkens et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,618 to Price; U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,395 to Kinny; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,879 to Gil. Although each of these patents teach filtration apparatus, the construction of the apparatus and the method by which such apparatus is utilized does not enable significant reduction of the time needed to replace/change the filters employed therein. Furthermore, when a filter needs to be changed, the entire apparatus undergoes significant “down time,” including draining of the apparatus to gain access to change the filters. Thus, none of the prior art referenced above (each of which is incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in its entirety herein) offers the advantages of the present invention.